Changing Luck An Alternate Ending
by linzhatterxx
Summary: Just something I came up with, turned out longer than I thought it would. I suck at summaries, and I hope I don't suck at everything else! R&R pleaseeee. :


Changing Luck; an Alternate Ending

It happened incredibly fast; one moment he was a coward, standing off to the side pining for the affections of this beautiful, strong woman while she reunited with her father, the next second, he was laying on the floor in pain, blood oozing from the bullet wound. He wasn't sure what made him act, he couldn't remember thinking to push them out of the way of Walrus' gun. He just knew that he wasn't going to let Alice down again; he was going to be brave, he was going to be noble. For the first time in his life, he acted selflessly.

Carpenter picked up the dropped gun and fired at his former partner, and the large man fell. The suits scattered, and then Alice was by his side. He managed to open his eyes and look at her, astounded to see tears in her own stormy blue eyes.

"Hatter… you idiot, why did you do that?" Her voice lacked its usual sharpness, dulled down by the tears she was trying so hard to hold in. Her hands hovered over his chest, as if scared to touch him. Hatter laughed, a wheeze in place of his normal cocky chuckle.

"I… I'm sorry, Alice," he coughed, his vision going blurry. "I couldn't let you down… again…."

She shook her head, the tears escaping her eyes and dripping onto his chest. "You… Hatter, you can't leave me, you can't!"

The building began to shake; the Casino was falling. There wasn't much time, "You have to get out of here…" Hatter coughed again, wishing he hadn't cut their hug short now. He'd been stupid, he should've known that was probably the safest they would ever be. He had so many regrets, most of them piling up from the last few days, most of them involving his Oyster.

"You're just joking, right Hatter? You have your body armor on, I know it…." She ripped his shirt open to find only a bare chest, and a large bloody hole. She broke down, sobbing on his chest, and, though it took every bit of strength he had left, he got one arm around her.

"Get yourself out of here, get home…." He closed his eyes, knowing that the end was coming soon. He carefully lifted her face and pulled it to his; he missed out on his hug, but he'd be damned before he lost his one chance for a kiss. To his memory, it was the most wonderful feeling he'd ever experienced (though it would've been better if she wasn't crying). "I love you, Alice." He breathed, his head falling back. She screamed as her father pulled her away from his body, begging him to come back, but part of her was screaming at her own stupidity. This was exactly why she did the leaving, so she wouldn't feel like her heart was being ripped out.

She was barely listening as the Queen of Hearts handed over the ring, barely paying attention as the preparations were made to send her home. When the appointed day arrived, she was standing by a window in her father's apartment, playing with the brim of the hat she found in the rubble. It seemed like that was all that was left of him; that and the dark purple coat she refused to take off. _Hatter's gone… he gave his life to save me… and my father._

"Alice?" She turned around at her father's voice. He seemed to have aged another ten years since they'd met, feeling perhaps just as much guilt as she did for the death of the only man she ever allowed herself to love. "It's time."

She nodded, looking at the hat once more. Would it be so horrible if she took these things with her? She didn't see how it would be; Hatter certainly had no use for them anymore. That thought brought more tears, and her father practically had to carry her out of the house.

Jack came to the Looking Glass chamber before they left, and asked Alice to be his queen. She shook her head, "I've changed, Jack. I'm not the same girl you knew. I want something else… but since when does anyone get what they want, right?" She meant for it to come off as nonchalant and wise, but her voice wavered at the end, and Jack shrugged a tiny bit.

"You never know when your luck will change." He smiled gently, and offered the ring. "Would you, at least, do me the honor of restarting the Looking Glass?"

She did, and fell through with her father. When she came to, he and her mother were talking in the corner of her Hospital room. He seemed to be trying to explain what had happened to him without sounding too mad.

_Mad like a Hatter…_ she bit her lip to keep from crying, but her father noticed. He got up and walked to her, taking her into his arms like he had all those years ago, when she cried over another's death.

"It's ok, Jellybean, we're here… and we're not going anywhere."

They went home the next day, though Alice could hardly remember the trip from the hospital to the apartment that she'd shared with her mother for nearly ten years. She walked in and went straight to her room, cradling his hat and coat against her chest. She gingerly laid them across her bed, then began to pack up her map and everything else she'd used to try and find her father for all those years.

"Alice? Alice honey," her mother walked in, heels clicking across the floor. "What's this about?" She asked, watching her daughter.

"Dad's back… I don't need to look for him anymore, do I?" She forced a smile and turned to her mother, who was looking curiously at the clothing on her bed.

"I suppose not," Carol smiled a bit, then the doorbell buzzed. She jumped a bit, as if she'd forgotten something. "Oh, that must be the construction worker who found you."

"Construction worker?" Alice mumbled, walking into the hall. Her father was standing and talking to someone she couldn't see, a very shocked look on his face. She carefully stepped out into the living room, and felt her mother's hands on her shoulders.

"Alice, this is David; he found you and your father, and wanted to make sure that you were alright." She was hardly listening, as the man looked up at her. For a moment she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, or maybe she was dreaming (or had gone mad herself) His hair was neat and combed, his stubble almost completely gone, and he was wearing much calmer clothing, but there he was.

Her Hatter.

She ran and threw her arms around him, feeling the tears bubbling up again. This time, though, they were happy.

"Finally," he breathed into her hair, his arms locking around her back. His voice was thicker than she remembered, but when she pulled back, she saw that he was trying not to cry, as well. She was about to speak, to tell him how happy she was to see him, to ask him how he was alive (not that she was upset by that), but then his lips were on hers again. The kiss was stronger this time, probably because he wasn't dying and she wasn't sobbing. Their lips separated, but only just, and when Alice opened her eyes she was met by his own dark chocolate gaze. "I've missed you," he whispered. She smiled, then tried to glare.

"You owe me an explanation, mister."

"I told you your luck was starting to change, didn't I?"

**A/N;; And they live happily ever after. :] I dunno, this originally ended with Hatter dying, but I just couldn't let this end on such an unhappy note, or let my beloved Hatter die. :] Haha.**


End file.
